The Revolution of the Love / Die Revolution Der Liebe - Part 8 — George Verwer

How I thank God for this great music team. I've been involved with music teams and singing groups for 40 some years. I had my own professional musician traveling with me, Bill Drake, who had the anointing of Keith Green on him.

Spiritual Warfare in Music Ministry

And of my own personal music. And to see God's hand on him all these nine years, as he ministered all over the world to thousands of people, was a huge encouragement. But we also discovered the reality of spiritual warfare in music ministry.

Because in our day and age it demands professionalism. We put on big concerts, all the lights, all the smoke, all the big PowerPoint, you know, the whole thing, big money. And we'd see Satan try to bring division among the team.

Or between the team and the organizer. It seems that Satan is constantly, constantly trying to stir up trouble among those committed to reaching the world with the gospel. People say, why do you give out all these free books everywhere you go?

Because I have a heart to see people helped. I've seen God's people make so many mistakes. And I want to help people to keep on, just as others have helped me. And now that what I'm involved in has got so large, I don't have the time that I used to have to just spend an hour with, you know, anybody and everybody wherever I go.

Between the last session and this session, I was able to have, you know, a few minutes with different people, praying and talking, answering questions. But right now I also have a few hundred e-mails that I'm supposed to be looking at.

And the way I stay motivated with all these e-mails is I try to pray over every single e-mail that I receive. And my flight from Frankfurt to Chicago tomorrow, that's one long prayer time with e-mails that I have with me, and my computer as well.

So, if there's any little, I can't do much, but if I can help any of you in some little way, a prayer, a book, a link up, then I want to do that. Here am I, send me. At the end of this message that I give right now, if you'll pray that prayer for the first time, I'm going to ask you to stand up.

Now, I don't know if there will be very many. Because so many of you are already moving. But maybe you can just reaffirm this in your heart. It's saying, Lord, I'm available. It's saying, Lord, your will, not my will.

Surrendering to God's Will

It's tied in with Romans chapter 12, 1 and 2. Where it says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

One of the great calls to biblical commitment and reality. But I believe, generally, before we can pray that kind of prayer, we need a greater experience with God. That's what we have here. We have Isaiah, seeing the Lord.

Isaiah's Vision of God's Glory

It says, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. High and lifted up, his train filled the temple. This was a vision of God. Sometimes, sweet, we get a vision for a nation. Oh, God's put India on my heart.

Oh, God's put the Muslim world on my heart. But the first vision, the more important vision, is the vision of God himself. That's what we all need. That's what I need. And that's why we want to spend more time in God's word.

When we spend more time in God's word, we'll get a greater glimpse of his glory, of his greatness, of the way that he works, which is not easy. Verse two. Above him stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings.

With twain he covered his face. With twain he covered his feet. With twain he did fly. This, of course, is a mystical experience. There's nothing wrong with having this kind of experience. As long as we also follow it up with basic, practical holiness.

He saw the greatness of God. He saw the glory of God. He then saw the holiness of God. That is really, really overwhelming. Please look at that next verse. Verse three. One cried unto another. Just picture this.

One cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. The holiness of God. That was a major thing in my young life. With my struggle with pornography.

Personal Sin, Repentance, and Practical Holiness

My struggle with impatience and bad temper. I spent a lot of time in the word of God. And I saw his holiness. And I repented of everything the spirit of God convicted me of. And I've never had a day when I've not somehow kept, we say, short accounts with God.

And sometimes the closer we draw to God, the more quickly we see the ugliness of the self-life. For God is not just concerned about our outward actions. We don't want you robbing any banks. We don't want you beating up on any grandmothers.

We don't want you watching any pornographic movies. We don't want you punching your little tiny wimps. We don't want you kicking your little brother in the face with your big shoe. Such outward things are easy to spot.

But God is also concerned about our disposition and about our attitudes. You have two good words in German for that. Such a good language, German, you've got everything. Disposition. Attitudes. And I discovered it was so easy.

For me to be smiling on the outside. Shaking someone's hand. God bless you. Good to see you. But the inside. Wrong attitude. What's he doing here? What's his agenda? I saw him flirting with that girl over there.

This guy is bad news. Man, I hope he disappears. I don't want to see him again. God bless you. Good to see you. Spiritual schizophrenia. Two different people. And God broke me by his Holy Spirit. Exposed the wickedness of my own heart.

The holiness of God. Learning how to hate sin. One of the reasons that I got freedom from this pornography was because I learned to hate sin. This is wrong, what these people are doing. This whole industry is abusive of women.

It is wrong. And as God's people we should speak out about it. It's not our major agenda. But if we love Jesus and we're committed to holiness we will not tolerate this on our TV screen. And in Germany it is an open broken sewer running through society propelled by the forces of hell 24 hours a day.

And you can be sure that some of the suicides are linked with pornography and immorality. And you can be sure that ultimately Germany will lose the blessing of God and the same is true in America if there's not repentance and revival and turning back to the word of God.

Sin, Judgment, and the Call to Repentance

Now if you think that is a little bit strong you should go visit David Wilkerson in New York City. He makes me sound like a little tiny tea leaf blowing in the wind. Wilkerson is high octane full caffeine coffee.

He predicted years ago that this kind of thing was going to come to New York City. I remember seeing it in writing many years ago. I thought, David, you've done it again. Too much coffee. And now it's happened.

5 ,000 people are dead. A lot of people do not like David Wilkerson. And I tell you, he really upsets people. Because Wilkerson hates sin. Because Wilkerson sees the phenomenal degradation and sin in New York City which has become like Sodom and Gomorrah.

I'm not saying that was a judgment of God. I don't know. I'm not that smart. But I am afraid that the judgment of God is going to come. Because we see it in the word of God. We don't just have a God of love and a God of patience and a God of meekness.

We have a holy God. We have a God of judgment. And we cannot fool around with this God. And so we see Isaiah's reaction. Verse 5. Then I said, woe is me. They're very strong words in English. Woe, woe is me.

I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. But my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. What a verse. What a verse this is. Woe is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips.

I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. But my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. It's wonderful when we're believers. When we're washed with the blood of Christ. When God comes upon us like this in a heavy way.

God's Loving Correction and the Believer's Response

Convicting us. Because we know He loves us. God has been very heavy on me in my pilgrimage. Reuniting me, correcting me. Through books, through the word of God, through people. He loves me. Read Hebrews chapter 12.

We won't do it now. Those whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth. So if God is coming to your heart, He's convicting you about something. He's pressing you to repent about something. It's an assurance of His love and His concern for you.